Uluwatu Weather Month by Month
Bali sits eight degrees south of the equator, so the temperature barely moves all year and the rain does all the work. Here is what each month actually changes about an afternoon on the cliff, and when the sun goes down.
What the weather actually does to a visit here
Three things, and none of them is temperature. It is 29 to 32°C every month of the year, so packing does not change.
The first is rain on the road. The drive south from Seminyak or Ubud is slow at the best of times and a downpour doubles it, which is how people miss the six o'clock performance. The second is the cliff path, which is uneven stone with no shade and gets slippery after a shower. The third is the sunset itself: a clear August evening and an overcast January one are very different shows, and the performance time never moves to accommodate either.
Book something that refunds at 24 hours and none of it is a risk you carry.
Uluwatu month by month
January
31°C by day and 25°C at night, with 350mm of rain across 19 wet days — the wettest month of the year. Sunset is at its latest, about 18:46, so the sun is still well up when the six o'clock performance starts. The sea runs 29°C. Expect the rain in heavy bursts rather than all day, and expect the road south to slow when it arrives.
February
Much like January: 31°C, 280mm over 18 wet days, sea at 29°C. Sunset holds around 18:43. Humidity sits near its annual peak. The cliff path is slippery in places after rain, which is the one practical consequence of a wet February afternoon.
March
Rain begins to ease — 215mm, still spread over 20 days — and the temperature holds at 31°C. Sunset pulls back to about 18:31. Nyepi falls this month and closes the island completely for 24 hours, airport included, so check the date before you book flights.
April
The turn. Rainfall drops to 90mm across 12 days and the dry season begins. Days reach 31°C, the sea is at its warmest 29.4°C, and sunset is around 18:15. This is the first month when an afternoon on the cliff is reliably dry.
May
75mm over 8 days, 31°C, and the year's earliest sunset at about 18:08. That puts the sun on the horizon within minutes of the six o'clock curtain, which is the closest the two ever get. Book the first performance and arrive early.
June
The southeast monsoon arrives: 70mm over 7 days, temperatures easing to 30°C and a steady wind off the ocean. Sunset is about 18:11. The wind is what changes the visit — it makes the clifftop feel cooler than the numbers suggest and it lifts the surf.
July
50mm across 4 days and 29°C, the coolest stretch of the year. Sunset about 18:18. This is peak season on the Bukit and the amphitheatre fills earliest in July and August, so arrive by half past four if you want a seat with a view of the sea.
August
The driest month by a distance: 15mm over 3 days, 29°C, sea at 26.8°C. Sunset about 18:19. Clear evenings are close to guaranteed, the wind holds and the crowd is at its heaviest. Book the dance ahead rather than at the box office.
September
40mm over 3 days and 30°C, with sunset about 18:16. Conditions match August and the crowd thins from the middle of the month. For a dry evening with room to move on the cliff path, this is the best trade the calendar offers.
October
Rain returns gently: 90mm over 6 days, 31°C, sunset about 18:14. The sea warms back to 28°C. Afternoons stay reliable and the occasional evening shower passes in under an hour, so a booking that refunds at 24 hours costs you nothing to hold.
November
150mm over 10 days and the year's highest daytime average at 31.7°C. Sunset moves out to about 18:21. The wet season is starting and the humidity with it; carry water for the cliff path, which has almost no shade.
December
290mm across 16 days, 31°C, and sunset around 18:36. Rain is frequent and heavy, and the roads south are at their slowest. The performance still runs unless the weather turns properly bad, and several operators will cancel and refund from their side if it does.
| Month | High °C | Low °C | Rain mm | Wet days | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30.8 | 24.8 | 350 | 19 | 18:46 |
| February | 31.0 | 24.8 | 280 | 18 | 18:43 |
| March | 31.1 | 24.8 | 215 | 20 | 18:31 |
| April | 31.2 | 24.8 | 90 | 12 | 18:15 |
| May | 30.7 | 24.5 | 75 | 8 | 18:08 |
| June | 29.9 | 24.1 | 70 | 7 | 18:11 |
| July | 29.2 | 23.8 | 50 | 4 | 18:18 |
| August | 29.2 | 23.5 | 15 | 3 | 18:19 |
| September | 30.1 | 23.6 | 40 | 3 | 18:16 |
| October | 31.1 | 24.4 | 90 | 6 | 18:14 |
| November | 31.7 | 25.0 | 150 | 10 | 18:21 |
| December | 31.0 | 25.1 | 290 | 16 | 18:36 |
The two seasons, and which one you want
The dry season runs April to October and the wet season November to March. If your dates are flexible, take the dry season and take the end of it: September gives you August's weather with fewer people on the cliff path and shorter queues at the dance box office.
If you are coming in the wet season anyway, plan the temple for the earlier part of the afternoon and treat the rain as something that passes. You will get a warmer sea, a much quieter site and, in December and January, the latest sunsets of the year.
Best time of day
Arrive at four. That gives you the cliff path in falling light, a dance ticket before the queue builds and a seat before the amphitheatre fills. The performance starts at six whatever the month, and the sun sets between 18:08 in May and 18:46 in January, so it always goes down during the first show.
If you would rather have the place to yourself, come at seven in the morning instead. The gate opens then, the macaques are quiet and the light comes from behind you across the ocean. You will miss the dance, which is a real trade rather than a small one.
Weather questions
Does rain cancel the Kecak dance?
Which month has the best evening light?
Is the wet season a reason not to come?
Worried about the weather on your dates?
Every trip here refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead, and several operators will cancel and refund from their side if the weather turns.
What the weather means for the drive is on the map and journey times page; the gate's hours and 2026 rates are on visitor information. To book around a forecast, a Bali Uluwatu sunset tour that refunds at 24 hours is the safe way in, and the fares are compared on Uluwatu Tours.